After about 20 districts across the state began January with fully virtual instruction because of the peaks in COVID-19 cases, that number has dropped to three districts now and will soon be two.
That’s good news for the state Department of Education, the central agency of the state’s 79 traditional school districts, according to communications director Ryan Brown, who spoke to The Sumter Item on Wednesday.
The state department says the data shows that schools can be safe locations with adequate mitigation efforts amid COVID-19 and that student learning is enhanced with a face-to-face classroom instruction format, said Brown, and more districts are moving in that direction.
Two weeks ago, and just after the winter holiday, when the virus case count increased, 19 districts were completely virtual in format, including several districts in the area.
Monday was a key date on the calendar for the state department, Brown said, as many districts – including the Sumter School District – have moved back to a hybrid / combined model that usually involves two to four days a week of face-to-face classes for students. The Sumter hybrid consists of two days of class in the classroom and three days at home.
Only three districts are now categorized as fully virtual and include Lee County School District, Calhoun County Public Schools and Orangeburg County School District. However, in Orangeburg, elementary school students started a hybrid model on Monday and elementary and high school students switch to the hybrid next week.
Currently, 47 districts (59%) are in some hybrid / blended learning version, while 28 districts (35%) are offering full five-day face-to-face classes.
In all districts, families have the option of keeping their children educated online throughout the spring semester due to the virus.
AND THE SCHOOL LEVEL NUMBERS?
When looking at the breakdowns by school level, the numbers are more telling, Brown said. That’s because a very large district, such as the Greenville County School District, is officially classified as a “hybrid”, but about 80% of its schools currently offer five-day face-to-face classes.
Of the total of 1,266 public schools in the state, 646 – or 51% – are offering face-to-face education, five days a week, according to the state department. Another 575 schools (45.5%) are offering some hybrid version, and only 45 schools – or 3.5% – are still in fully virtual education.
The department maintains its desire for all districts to offer a five-day classroom format as quickly as possible, said Brown.
A “hybrid plus” model is being offered in many districts, he said, which consists of four days of classroom instruction and one day a week at home. On that day, the school staff thoroughly cleans the schools.
“We have many different schools using this model,” said Brown. “Lexington 1 has been using it almost since the beginning of the school year. If you can’t do it five days a week, that’s the second best thing. So, I think it’s definitely a viable option, especially for districts that are very cautious about change two or three days a week [in the classroom] five days a week. It can be a good starting point for them. “
AND THE TEACHER VACCINES?
Teachers and school support staff are in Phase 1B of the vaccine implementation in the state, after health professionals and older residents, who are part of Phase 1A. This phase is underway. DHEC has not announced when Phase 1B will begin.
As of Wednesday, 25 U.S. states are vaccinating teachers and school support staff, according to Brown. This is because these states have prioritized teachers in Phase 1A of their vaccine implementation or because a state may already be in Phase 1B, he said.
According to Brown, the state department continues to push for the availability of vaccines for teachers.
SUMTER DISTRICT COVID-19, QUARANTINE TOTALS
As of Friday, the Sumter School District had 42 reported cases of students in quarantine, including positive COVID-19 cases, according to a district spokesman. This is about 0.3% of the district’s total enrollment of 15,600 students.
A total of 79 employees were quarantined until Friday because of positive cases of virus or close contact with one. That is 3% of district employees, which is about 2,600.
CASHIER:
SC SCHOOLS – BY NUMBERS:
1,266 public schools in total
646 face to face (51%)
575 hybrid (45.4%)
45 totally virtual (3.5%)
Source: Department of Education of SC. Data on Wednesday.